As London is in drought, the Royal Parks, a collection of eight parks across the capital and other green spaces, has also kept its reliance on mains water to a minimum.
Royal Parks’ director, Darren Share, said: “Most of the water used across the Royal Parks is drawn from our own boreholes and water bodies.
“Throughout the year, we restrict the use of mains water to essential purposes and only where alternative sources are not available.”
Visitors are also being warned not to go swimming in any of the open bodies of water due to the risk of cold shock syndrome.
“Not many people know it doesn’t have to be freezing temperatures, it’s that change in temperature because it is so hot in the air,” Megarrell added.
Another major aspect of extreme heat is what happens when the weather turns from constant sunshine to heavy downpours.
With such deluges, dried-out soil cannot absorb large volumes of water in a short space of time, so it runs off, potentially causing flooding.
To prevent this, the park has increased the size of its ponds, dug a number of ditches as well as leaky dams to ensure the water stays in the ground for longer.
